[Herbalism Practice] The Spice of Life [Open]

[Teyala]

The month of Junctior
Season of Autumn
Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era XIII Post Fractum
40th Brightening

Teyala understood that only so much could be learned from another. In the world of science, somethings just had to be learned on your own. Such was the way of Herbs and Plants, and although Teyala had books, manuscripts, and the wisdom of a teacher to guide her in the past, she understood that now was her time to commune with nature. She aided it, worked for it, protected it, and much as her Herbalism Master once said, nature can lend help and strength back to those that seek it.

It was, therefore, a wise chance to live in Natura, and make the Heartlands of Centripax her home. Thick with growth and plantlife, it was the perfect grounds for spotting proper herbal reagents, so she could begin making her own salves and teas. Making her way along the side of a riverbed, Teyala identified a particular plant, perhaps half her height with a branched stem and flowers. "Ah, Chamomile..." she noted, picking the hollowed flowers from it's stem, just a few from each plant, and placing them in a small jar.

Moving into the deeper locale of the forest, just at the edge of a large clump of trees along some grass, Teyala spots a patch of large yellow flowers with oversized petals. The bright green stem protrudes proudly from the ground, stretching up to the sun, "Ah...Kalio..." she notes to herself as she begins harvesting the seeds and placing them into a seperate jar. The Relequis sneezes lightly as she catches the scent of their potent aroma.

[Teyala]

The energetic Relequis continued her search. Documenting what herbs she could find, and where. Such documentation would make it easier in the future to search out such items and gather them. "Lets see..." her brown scrunched up as she stared at a particular plant. Leaning forward to bring her dainty black nose into the realm of it's aroma, she could smell the powerful scent of lemon. "Lemonysilk...?" she mentioned to herself, bringing up a paw to lightly feel the beautiful leaves. Her thumb and forefinger rubbed across them, they didn't appear to be the right color, however, until she remember. "They change during autumn...heh, silly me..."

An herb to counteract the ravages of frostbite. Possibly an important one to stow away, with winter coming swiftly. The cool air blew across the Relequis' fur, and she could feel a small chill. Still, it was more tolerable then the beating sun of the summer falling down upon her like a hammer. Teyala could handle the cold better then she could the heat. Carefully she began plucking a few leaves, and stowing them, away into a jar, labeling it as such like she did with all her herbs. The preperation for them would come later when she was back at her cottage.

Taking a break, she sat down near the sour, lemony scent of the bushes and looked out across the grass and brush, wavering slightly as it was touched by the air. Everything was so peaceful, for now. How long would this peace last before it was breached again, as she had seen in the past. Would she be prepared for it the next time. "I will be..." she mentioned to herself, "...I hope I will be...."

[Kuro Kodiru]

Kuro had come a long way since Jaedaxia.

Trudging through all manner of weather and terrain in his constant and unfruitful soul-search. His trip had taken him through Carmelyn province, to Arium and then Paxia. By way of Paxia he hitched a ride on a boat to Alleria Prime. And even there, in the city with a million souls, his search had gone somewhat unrequited.

There was definitely something missing. He could tell, from the time he left Kala'beth to the current brightening that there was still something amiss in his life.

Eventually, in the woods outside Natura, the reason came to him. He was in no way ready. He needed to heed the guidance that had been gifted to him in Jalat’s temple. Jalat wanted him to learn of those of Aetheria and Aeternia, to know what really matters. It was then that he came to a decision, that he would study under the Aetherians. And what safer and more appropriate place to do so but Natura, which was only around the corner from Vortex. Still about a couple cycle’s walk from there, but not so far that it was unmanageable.

Kuro was wearing the same workclothes he’d been in for months now, underneath the same old overcoat, one which had accrued some nasty tears and stains in the course of his travels. His scalp was clean shaven, with Kuro having decided that there was no need to grow his hair, since he wasn’t trying to impress Kala’beth. On his belt hung a hand crossbow, and in his hand was a crook cane made of hickory heartwood. The tip of the stick mashed against the ground as he plodded along.

He kept walking, minding the ache in his legs but knowing full well that he’d be able enough to heal them with his magic. He was somewhat hungry. The thought of taking one of his dry rations, a strip of fish meat, didn’t quite appeal to him. Fish was only good on the day it was killed, and that was that.

Then he noticed something… A patch of fur standing out above the brush. The animal, if that was what it was, was somewhat large, standing at a height. Possibly a deer of some sort. He didn’t get a good look at it. Mindful of the hand crossbow that hung at his belt, he skirted around the brush to make his way to a clearing where he’d be better able to make his potential quarry out.

[Teyala]

It didn't take Kuro long to get a better position to view the furred creature sitting near the thicket down by the river. The creature was neither deer, nor rabbit, nor any other small woodland animal. It's fur was a lighter shade of chocolate, much like caramel, with lighter spots near her mouth, trailing down her neck and into her clothing. Oddly, the creature wore items as well.

The shirt, made of stitched leather was crafted by a finely skilled artisan, and those knowledgable would see it was clearly Elven in make. A skirt made of boiled leather strips underlaid with chainmail came from her waist down to her knees, and several pouches hung about her waist. She wore no breeches or bottoms beyond the armored skirt, as it was clear her oversized legs, complete with massive feet and toes could not fit into anything.

The more he looked, the more it appeared she resembled a squirrel. A giant, four and a half foot tall squirrel with armor, a pack, pouches...even an Elven Longknife was strapped at her side. She brought a foot up and examined the pads of her mammalian feet, stretching her toes individually and cleaning the large claws that were at the end of each.

Afterward, she tucked a bottle into her pouch. It appeared to have the brownish leaves of the shrubbery next to her within. Shortly there after, her vacant stare into the distance subsided, and she made her way to her feet, brushing herself off and began to search the area around her carefully. It was possible that she did not see him, or perhaps she was simply too involved in her other task.

[Kuro Kodiru]

So it wasn't exactly an animal he'd spotted. The kemite hadn’t seen many rodenti in his time out of Zinn’Sunn, but he knew enough to tell that this was one of those relequis. Rodenti were martial creatures, if the stories he heard were true, and this one looked to be no exception, with her armor and weapon close at hand. Perhaps she was some sort of bandit? The thought was somewhat heartening, but he didn’t allow himself to run with it just yet. For now, he was content to merely call out. But not before adjusting his belt, so that the hand crossbow hanging from it would be at his back, where it wasn’t visible. If things got nasty, he had that to fall back on, at least.

”Hello.” He spoke out, and in purely sappy fashion he added, ”I seem to have lost the path. You wouldn’t know the way to Natura, would you?” He leaned on his cane while his left arm lay folded behind his back, ready to snatch the crossbow, aim, and then threaten to fire.

[Teyala]

Her large, Rodenti ears perked up as the Kemite spoke. Her head swiveled around to see him, leaning, watching her. "Hmm...well, you've lost the path to Natura because there isn't one." she chuckled lightly, her oversized front teeth showing clearly, "Natura and this wilderness are one, existing together in harmony. Once you learn the way however, it is easy to find. A few miles to the southwest lies what you'd call the 'City', although it has no walls. It is where I call home though." she slapped her paws together a few times, cleaning the leaves and sticks from the fur.

"What reason have you come to Natura? I'm just curious. Come to seek out the life of the Rangers, or the Druids perhaps? Or those Monks, a very interesting lot." she spoke. Over the years her voice had gone from an annoying high pitched squeak of shrill proportions into something highly more tolerable. Though her voice was much like a young Human child, it still had a soft and practiced tone about it. That came from Era's of practice with the magic of the Song.

[Kuro Kodiru]

It was both a relief and a disappointment that he learned the relequis was obviously not a bandit, as her heavy garb and weaponry might've indicated. She seemed like a very decent person, in fact, giving him directions and all. Lucky enough for her, he supposed. His hand drifted from the insurance that hung from the back of his belt. It wouldn't do to alarm the natives.

"I see..." He smiled friendly, "I suppose I'll have to learn my way around, if I'm to be staying here for any length of time." Kuro wasn't exactly sure how long he'd be here. He did know that he didn't want it to be more than a few seasons. Just long enough to give him that yearning to return to what he now considered his real home, to Vortex.

"Ah, but my manners. I have the honor of being Kuro Kodiru." He said, leaving it open for a few moments to allow the rodenti to give her name.

He took those few moments to size her up further. She had a definite presence about her, something intangible that told him she was more than just some commoner gathering things in the wilderness. Intriguing in that sense, at least. And even a cold-hearted Jalatian spy couldn't deny that she was so darned cute.

"As for why I'm here, I suppose I was thinking of joining the clergy for a time, taking refuge for at least the Winter." His expression turned vaguely thoughtful, "The monks perhaps, if they would have me. Perhaps they could teach me some more about thaumaturgy, as well?" A shrug.

"But enough about me... I seemed to have interrupted you." Politeness tried to tell him not to press further, but he didn't quite feel the urge to heed that inner voice, curious about this rodenti as he was, "If you don't mind my prying, what is it that you're gathering? What is it that you do in Natura?"

[Teyala]

"Ohhh...Kuro Kodiru, is it? Sounds exotic. I'm Teyala. That's it, my parents never gave me a second name...bleh, my sister got it." although she did seem somewhat sore at that reality, it didn't sit on her mind for too long. Then again, nothing sat on the mind of a Relequis for very long before some other thought took priority.

Listening to his goals while within Natura, Teyala nodded slightly. A paw, more closely resembling a hand, came up to her chin. She rubbed it thoughtfully, "Well those Monks are a good lot. Strict, but they have some interesting secrets to teach, you know. Thaumaturgy is one of them, the ways of the body are the second. I never had any talent with that kind of Magery, but I'm actually training under Father Kerwal. They're willing to teach those willing to learn. It's quite a pain though, literally, heh heh." she chortled lightly. "Herbs certainly help...oh..."

She then continued, pulling a jar of leaves from one of her pouches. Inside were the product of her harvest. The multi-colored autumn leaves could be prepared in a variety of ways. She wished to attempt them as a tincture, however, "These particular leaves are actually used to combat the effects of frostbite. I'm out here harvesting the materials I need before the long winter, I do a bit of Herbalism work. I'm not the best but I understand some of the more intricate basics."

"I've got...lets see..." the Relequis begins shuffling around her pack while one foot comes up absently to scratch her large digigrade calf, "Kalio...Chamomile...Natura's a great place to harvest the bounties of nature. Makes sense no? I guess that Herbalism might seem kind of boring, but I find it very intriguing, to know that these little plants can do so much for us." Teyala mentions to him, staring into one of the jars with her large, night-like eyes.

[Kuro Kodiru]

"Exotic? I suppose. I'm from Zinn'Sunn." The birthplace of Song, as they said. Although whether or not this would be of interest to the relequis was beyond Kuro's reckoning, as yet he knew little about her.

"I'm sure that particular herb will come in use." Kuro remarked about the frostbite remedy. "I've heard that the Druids of Natura won't let you cut down trees, not even for fuel in the Winter. Probably just a silly rumor, though." He shrugged.

"I wouldn't consider it boring by any stretch. When I was a child, I always enjoyed scavenger hunts and such things. Doubly interesting it is when the things you're looking for have a practical use." He kicked some leaves idly as he looked around, and then back to the relequis.

"I'm hoping to get some training in martial arts as well. I've never been trained in an unarmed form before... Sometimes I think perhaps it was a mistake to take on weaponry lessons before doing unarmed, seeing as the former is the basis for all combat." Kuro shrugged again. Combat hadn't proven to be his strong suit thus far in his life out of Zinn'Sunn.

[Teyala]

"Ohhhhhhhhh...." she replied, with what sounded like a verbal light bulb going off in her head, until she explained, "......never been there. Though apparently I should have. The birthplace of Song is it called? Well shucks...I actually know a few Songs, but beyond that I traveled to Vers some time ago to study the Magery that surrounds Song Arcana." of course, that was some Era's ago, just after she had left her former home.

"And your comment about tree's and Natura isn't far from the truth. Nature is very revered, and since the foliage is so thick, a fire gone unchecked could quickly go out of control. For that very reason, you won't find many using flame to warm themselves from the winter's bite. Luckily this helps somewhat..." she patted her arm, though her intent was to indicate the coat of fur that was over her entire body. As one of the larger haired Rodenti, the cold wasn't so bad for her, and in truth she embraced the cold compared to the brutal heat and humidity of summer.

She was also intrigued by his response toward Herbalism. Teyala thought of it the same way, it was amazing what simple plants, prepared in a certain way could be capable of, "I feel just like you do, and I love scavenger hunts. Speaking of which, there's always some at the festivals held in Natura." she said with a nod. The search for the Golden apple was one such hunt, although less of a scavenger hunt, and more of a 'find the objective' hunt. A fun competition none the less.

"And that's indeed what I've heard. You know, that unarmed combat is the basis for all combat. Learn to use your body before you learn to handle a weapon and all that. I didn't have too much interest in it at first...but I guess I had a bit of a talent for it. I can't really lift too much in the ways of weapons...but these got plenty of strength behind them..." the squirrel-folk tapped her well-muscled leg, "...so I learned to use them a bit."

[Kuro Kodiru]

"Yes, all of the great spellsingers go to Zinn'sunn eventually." Kuro remarked, "And you're a spellsinger? I once wanted to become one, actually... But I'm afraid I have no imagination when it comes to making lyrics. I couldn't in good conscience become a spellsinger without having the ability to make my own songs." He shrugged. "Besides, having the power to heal is infinitely useful, I think. Although I'm hardly of any use, being an initiate as I am."

"So how do Naturans keep warm then? Or are winters in this part of the world rather mild?" He was genuinely curious, not the least of which because he was going to be staying there for the majority of winter.

"Maybe they'll have a scavenger hunt for Primehiems, weather permitting? It seems I've missed out on all the major autumn holidays."

He nodded at her comments about unarmed combat. "I'd like to try it, but I'm afraid I'll fall flat on my face. Most of my attempts at training go rather painfully..."